TBR Football

Tottenham’s struggling Premier League campaign continued, as they were beaten 2-0 by Aston Villa in their latest outing.

With just one win, two draws, and seven losses in their last 10 league fixtures, Tottenham are enduring their worst season in years, which sees them sit 17th in the table.

Their focus now shifts to the Europa League final, where victory would end their trophy drought and secure a Champions League spot.

Behind the scenes, summer plans are underway. A big summer is expected with several players expected to leave. Among them is Cristian Romero who remains linked with Atletico Madrid.

If he leaves, Spurs may turn to the market for a replacement, though they already have Luka Vuskovic, the promising young centre-back signed two years ago.

Luka Vuskovic opens up on his future at Tottenham

Vuskovic has confirmed that Tottenham want him to join the squad for pre-season this summer.

The Croatian wonderkid understands that regular playing time may be limited at the North London club at the moment, but he remains open to the idea of another loan spell to develop further.

Speaking to Nova TV, Vuskovic stated: “Right now, I don’t know anything yet. They told me to finish this season calmly and as well as I can, and then we’ll talk. But they did say they’d like to have me at the pre-season with them.

“If they want me to stay, I’ll stay, but I don’t think I’d get many chances because the club has top defenders, and maybe it would be smarter to go on loan for another season.”

Luka Vuskovic has impressed since joining Tottenham

Vuskovic is officially set to join Spurs this summer, two years after the club agreed a deal for him for around £12 million.

Since then, the 18-year-old has emerged as one of Europe’s most promising young defenders with his impressive performances.

Vuskovic, who has been likened to Gvardiol, is currently on loan at Westerlo, where he’s had an impressive season, scoring seven goals and providing three assists in 35 appearances from the heart of the defence.

Vuskovic has already achieved a lot for his age, breaking records with Hajduk in the Croatian league and UEFA Youth League, becoming the youngest player to debut and score for the club.

His loan spells in Poland and Belgium have further honed his ability at the senior level.

For Tottenham, integrating Vuskovic could be a key step in building a new defensive core, especially with Romero’s future uncertain and the squad in transition.

Mikey Moore is one of Tottenham Hotspur’s brightest young talents.

The attacker, still only 17, is highly regarded behind the scenes at Spurs, and many view him as a superstar in the making.

In 2024, Ange Postecoglou gave Moore his debut in the Premier League, and he became Spurs’ youngest player in the history of the competition.

Now, the North Londoners have made a firm decision about his future.

There will be a lot of changes at Tottenham this summer.

The likes of Richarlison and Cristian Romero could leave Spurs for opportunities elsewhere, while Postecoglou is expected to be sacked even if he wins the Europa League.

Amid all that, Sky Sports Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg revealed that Borussia Dortmund are keen to sign Moore this summer.

The 17-year-old will have just two years left on his contract in July, and the Bundesliga giants are interested in luring him away.

Tottenham, however, have no interest in letting Moore go.

GiveMeSport have claimed that ‘Postecoglou and influential figures behind the scenes have decided they will not entertain the possibility of selling’ the teenager this summer.

It has been claimed that ‘there’s no way’ Moore will be allowed to leave, and Spurs are even planning to offer him a new deal to keep him at the club.

Furthermore, the report says that Tottenham are confident that the ‘unpredictable’ Moore will stay and pen a new deal in the coming months.

Tottenham’s plan for Mikey Moore

Mikey Moore has had opportunities at Tottenham this season.

The youngster has made 19 senior appearances for Spurs, the most recent of which came in the defeat to Aston Villa on Friday night.

In the summer, Tottenham plan to give even more chances to Moore in pre-season, and a good showing there could result in increased game time in the 2025/26 campaign.

The report claims that Spurs ‘have been putting a lot of time into Moore’s development plan’, and they feel that losing him now would make no sense whatsoever.

Dortmund have always been a great club for youngsters to make a name for themselves, but as things stand, they will not be able to land Moore this summer.

Tottenham Hotspur’s preparations for next week’s Europa League final aren’t going to plan.

Indeed, Spurs have lost both their league games since beating Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League semi-finals, and their injury list has also got longer.

James Maddison is out for the season, while Lucas Bergvall is a doubt for the Europa League final too.

Meanwhile, this week, Dejan Kulusevski underwent surgery on his knee and he will also miss this crucial clash with Manchester United in Bilbao.

Speaking on Premier League Productions, Glenn Hoddle has been discussing Kulusevski’s injury.

Glenn Hoddle reacts to Dejan Kulusevski injury

Hoddle spoke about Kulusevski’s injury and the fact he’s now set to miss the biggest game of the season.

The pundit described this as a ‘massive blow’ for Tottenham claiming that the midfield will now be very unbalanced.

“That’s right, it’s a massive blow for the club because Maddison is out as well. That position is up for grabs. I don’t know if you could look at tonight and Ange could say ‘I’ll play him in there,’ I think they’d go for a straight three of Sarr, Bissouma and Bentancur, which isn’t the right balance, whether Bergvall might make it, I don’t know, but Kulusevski is a massive miss. He’s a top, top quality player and he likes playing against Man United as well,” Hoddle said.

Dejan Kulusevski’s record vs Manchester United

As Hoddle says, Kulusevski’s absence is a massive blow for Tottenham.

Kulusevski has been Tottenham’s best player this season, and, as Hoddle says, he also has a good record against Manchester United.

The midfielder has only ever lost one game against the Red Devils in his career, while he’s scored twice against United in the past too.

Unfortunately, Spurs will be without their talisman for the biggest game of the season, and that is a real blow for the north London club.

Spurs’ season almost entirely rides on the result of the Europa League final, and it’s hard to fancy Tottenham to win this one with so many key players sidelined for this match.

Aston Villa have put themselves in a decent position to secure Champions League football after beating Tottenham Hotspur 2-0.

They currently lie in 5th place, the last available slot for the elite European competition, on 66 points.

It’s looking like a straight shoot-out between them, Newcastle United, Chelsea and Manchester City with one team set to miss out.

Villa managed the comfortable win to keep them in the race in their last home game of the season, which had been moved to Friday night at the request of Spurs.

Tonight’s defeat was yet another blow to Tottenham after missing out on a £50m defender.

Despite the unusual slot for the last home game of the season, Villa’s players were able to thank the home fans for their support.

Marcus Rashford wasn’t able to play due to injury, with his future at Aston Villa in question.

At such occasions, there’s usually an indication of possible changes in the summer with the players able to send a message to the crowd.

This time was no different, as Emiliano Martinez caught the eye with his visceral gestures to the fans.

The Argentinian goalkeeper was spotted tearing up and motioning towards the Villa faithful, with some interpreting it as Martinez waving goodbye.

Fabrizio Romano explains Emiliano Martinez ‘waving goodbye’ to Aston Villa fans

Fabrizio Romano has offered an explanation to Aston Villa fans over Emiliano Martinez’s gestures at full time of the Spurs match.

The football journalist said: “Dibu Martinez, emotional at full time as this could be his last appearance at Aston Villa – not sure yet but a possibility ahead of summer window.”

He then addressed who could be interested in signing the goalkeeper: “Understand Saudi Pro League clubs have approached Martinez in the recent weeks.

“Emi Martinez will assess all the options also from Europe after Saudi Pro League clubs approaches, as he’s expected to leave Aston Villa.”

Romano added that the club have already identified a potential replacement: “Villa are among several clubs showing interest in Joan Garcia, open race ahead.”

Arsenal are one of the clubs also interested in Garcia, who plays for Espanyol.

The Argentine, who was named the best goalkeeper in the world in 2024, would likely not be short of offers if he has decided to leave.

However, at 32 years old, it would make sense if he decided to cash in on one final payday by moving to Saudi Arabia.

His contract at Aston Villa runs until 2029, so whoever makes a move for him will likely need to offer the Midlands club big money.

Unai Emery speaks out on Emiliano Martinez’s future at Aston Villa

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery was asked about Emiliano Martinez in a post-match interview following the 2-0 win.

Responding to a question about his goalkeeper’s future, Emery said: “We will see. Of course, it is the last match here [this season], and I don’t know.

“We will see about the team, the players, but of course, they are responding on the field.”

It was a non-committal response that won’t exactly reassure Villa fans about Martinez staying at the club.

Villans have been sharing their gratitude towards Martinez online.

Another fan added: “If Dibu is to leave us, he gave us five incredible years and achieved his goal of getting us UCL.

“Villa believed in him, which helped him play for Argentina and lift the World Cup. One of a kind. Incredibly proud to say he was our No. 1.”

Tottenham Hotspur have had a season to forget so far.

Spurs suffered their 21st defeat of the campaign in the Premier League against Aston Villa on Friday night – only the relegated teams have lost more times this term.

To make things worse, one player Tottenham really wanted to sign this summer has now decided to join another club.

Fabrizio Romano has shared the latest on that situation.

Fabrizio Romano says Tottenham were ‘constantly calling’ to sign Dean Huijsen

Dean Huijsen has dominated transfer news over the last few weeks.

The Spaniard has had a terrific season at Bournemouth, and his performances caught the eye of some of the biggest clubs in the world.

Tottenham could lose Cristian Romero this summer, so they have been looking at possible replacements on the market ahead of the upcoming window.

Romano has revealed now that Spurs were one of the first sides to show interest in Huijsen, and they were really keen to sign him.

But, once some of the bigger clubs entered the race, Tottenham gave up.

Romano told GiveMeSport: “It all started with Newcastle pushing in January to anticipate all the other clubs. Tottenham Hotspur were also constantly calling as well as Bayern Munich.

“But, the German giants understood they needed to sell a centre-back like Kim Min-jae in order to proceed with a new expensive signing, and it didn’t happen.

“For Spurs and Newcastle, it also became impossible to compete when Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal appeared with important proposals.”

The latest on Dean Huijsen’s move to Real Madrid

Real Madrid were always the favourites to sign Huijsen.

The Galacticos rarely ever miss out on a player they want to sign, and once their interest emerged, the defender didn’t want to join any other club.

Huijsen has now signed his Real Madrid contract to seal his £50 million move, claimed Romano on Saturday morning.

It became clear several weeks ago that Tottenham will not be able to sign Huijsen despite their interest. Now, they need to look elsewhere.

Romero leaving would be a big blow. The Argentine has a mistake in him, but he is still a very important player for Spurs.

It will now be interesting to see who Tottenham will go for to strengthen their defence in the summer transfer window.

Tottenham suffered yet another defeat on Friday night, losing 2-0 to Aston Villa.

It marked their 21st league defeat in the league, a damning statistic that sees Ange Postecoglou make Spurs history, becoming the manager with the most defeats in a single Premier League season for the club.

With their domestic campaign in ruins, all hopes now rest on one final opportunity, the Europa League final.

Win in that match would end Tottenham’s long-standing trophy drought and secure a place in next season’s UEFA Champions League.

However, preparations for the final are already hampered by a growing injury crisis. James Maddison has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a serious injury, while Dejan Kulusevski also picked up a knock against Crystal Palace that rules him out of the final.

The latest concern for Spurs is midfielder Pape Matar Sarr.

Tottenham’s Pape Matar Sarr picks up knock vs Aston Villa

Sarr was substituted in the 51st minute with Yves Bissouma coming on for him.

While it initially appeared to be a routine substitution, it is what Sarr did as he came off that has caused worry.

The Athletic’s Jay Harris reveals that the player was seen going straight down the tunnel with a member of the medical staff.

He reported on X: “Sarr has headed straight down the tunnel with a member of the medical staff”.

Ange Postecoglou provides Pape Matar Sarr update

Speaking after the match, Postecoglou confirmed that Sarr felt something in his back and was taken off as a precaution.

However, the manager insisted that it didn’t appear to be anything too serious.

But he said the same about Kulusevski after the Palace game before it turned out to be a serious injury.

Sarr’s importance to Tottenham’s already thin midfield cannot be overstated.

With Maddison and youngster Lucas Bergvall both ruled out, Spurs cannot afford any further setbacks before their season-defining clash against Manchester United in the Europa League final.

Tottenham Hotspur have fallen to their 21st Premier League defeat of the season after losing 2-0 at Aston Villa on Friday night.

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou, mindful of the Europa League final next week, opted to rotate his line-up for the trip to Villa Park.

Villa opened the scoring through Ezri Konsa just before the hour mark before Boubacar Kamara doubled the hosts’ lead in the 73rd minute of the match.

Despite the disappointing display and result from a much-changed Spurs outfit, plenty of fans liked what they saw from one of their young players on the night.

Tottenham fans rave about goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky

Antonin Kinsky was handed a rare start for Tottenham and he delivered a solid display, helping to keep the score down.

Indeed, some felt he’s better than first-choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.

One fan wrote on X: “Vic was always a very good reaction save keeper but lacked in other areas.

“Kinsky is great everywhere else and is looking to become a good reaction save keeper. Could be a battle next season.”

A different fan said “his ceiling is so high”, while another said “he’s gonna be first choice soon, if not next season it will be the one after”.

On the subject of Kamara’s goal, one fan said: “Kinsky has been our best player and I don’t think any Prem keeper is saving that.”

In response, another supporter wrote: “Upon second viewing, unsaveable tbf. Did well to even get fingertips on it.”

Another fan said: “Kinsky will challenge Vic for No 1 next season.”

Meanwhile, a different supporter wrote: “One plus – Kinsky in goal’s pure class compared to Vicario.

“Great distribution and decision-making gets play moving quickly, Vicario is like a sloth – shocking.”

Another fan said: “Kinsky is better than Vic. Give him 10-15 games in the PL and he’ll be top drawer.”

What Ange Postecoglou and Djed Spence have recently said about Antonin Kinsky

Tottenham signed Kinsky from Slavia Prague earlier this year for £12.5million, and he was thrown in at the deep end in the wake of an injury to Guglielmo Vicario.

The 22-year-old did very well on his debut, keeping a clean sheet against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg.

Kinsky has made 10 appearances for Tottenham so far and he’s shown he has all the tools needed to become a top goalkeeper in the Premier League.

Djed Spence recently said of Kinsky: “He brings composure. As a keeper, he’s very good with the ball, so I think that’s one of his main strengths as well.”

Meanwhile, Postecoglou hailed Kinsky as he said: “Really, really pleased to get Toni into the club.

“We think he’s going to be an outstanding goalkeeper and no better one to work alongside than Vic.”

Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool are far apart in the Premier League table, but they are looking at a few similar players to sign this summer.

Ange Postecoglou’s side’s domestic season has been a disaster, and the fate of their whole campaign rests on the Europa League final against Manchester United.

Liverpool, on the other hand, have been crowned the Premier League champions, and they have been better than every other side in the country this term.

Now, the Reds’ focus is on the summer transfer window, and a new right-back is on their radar – just like Tottenham.

Tottenham are leading the race to sign Vanderson

Tottenham need reinforcements in multiple areas of their pitch this summer.

There are several players in Postecoglou’s squad who have severely underperformed this season, while even those who have done well could do with more competition to get better.

Tottenham have Pedro Porro and Djed Spence in their squad at right-back, and both players have shown their quality this season.

But, GiveMeSport claim that Spurs are looking for another player in that position, and they are now leading the race to sign Vanderson from Monaco.

Tottenham were heavily linked with a move to sign Vanderson in last summer’s transfer window, but a move did not materialise then.

The report now claims that a £30 million bid should be enough for the North Londoners to sign the ‘exceptional‘ Brazilian full-back, but they could face competition from clubs like Manchester United, Manchester City and Barcelona.

One club that won’t challenge Spurs for Vanderson’s signature, however, is Liverpool.

What do Liverpool think about Vanderson?

Liverpool are on the market for a new right-back this summer.

Trent Alexander-Arnold will leave the Reds for Real Madrid, and Slot needs to find a replacement before the start of next season.

The report claims that Liverpool discussed the possibility of signing Vanderson from Monaco, but in the end, they decided that they didn’t want him.

The champions have instead chosen to sign Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen, and talks are underway to get that deal over the line.

That makes Tottenham’s pursuit of Vanderson slightly easier now.

For all their flaws, Tottenham Hotspur do have some seriously quick players in their squad.

Indeed, Pedro Porro, Brennan Johnson and Wilson Odobert are all speedsters, and while he’s slowed down recently, Heung-Min Son was one of the fastest players around at one point.

However, the speed king at Tottenham in recent times has undoubtedly been Micky van de Ven.

Van de Ven has been hailed for his speed on a number of occasions, while he’s even broken some records for his pace too.

Speaking to UEFA, Ben Davies has been asked to name who is the fastest player at Tottenham, and, there are no prizes for guessing who he picked.

Davies, inevitably, said Van de Ven was the fastest player at Spurs, but, interestingly, he also noted that Spurs have another player who’d give him a run for his money.

Djed Spence is almost as fast as Micky van de Ven

Davies was asked to name which Tottenham player would win a race over 100m out of the entire squad.

Unsurprisingly, Davies chose Van de Ven as the winner here, but he did note that Djed Spence wouldn’t be too far behind, claiming that the £15m man is really quick as well.

“Who’s most likely to win a 100m race?” Davies was asked.

“It’s Micky van de Ven or probably Djed Spence wouldn’t be too far behind. I think between those two would be my bets on that one,” Davies said.

Djed Spence top speed compared to Micky van de Ven

Davies says that Spence is one of the fastest players at Tottenham, noting that he’s up there with Van de Ven but the numbers don’t quite back that up.

Indeed, based on stats from the Europa League this season, Van de Ven is way quicker than Spence.

That isn’t to say Spence is slow, he’s still absolutely rapid, but Van de Ven’s pace is just on another level.

Unfortunately, being so fast does have its downsides, Van de Ven has had injury issues for the past two years, and his hamstrings really aren’t holding up too well.

Fingers crossed Van de Ven’s injury problems will clear up going forwards, because, when he’s fit and firing, he’s an incredible defender.

Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United will face each other in the Europa League final in Bilbao.

The two clubs have had terrible domestic campaigns. The Red Devils are 16th in the table, while Spurs are a point and a place below them.

That is not acceptable at all for clubs of the size of Tottenham and Manchester United, but everything will be forgotten if one of them wins the Europa League.

Ruben Amorim is working hard to get his side over the line, and one thing Spurs will not do in the final could benefit the Portuguese tactician.

Ruben Amorim delivers verdict on Tottenham before the Europa League final

Manchester United have faced Tottenham three times already this season, and they’ve ended up on the losing side every single time.

Amorim was in charge of two of those games – one in the Premier League and the other in the cup – and he was left disappointed after both fixtures.

However, playing against Spurs twice since his arrival would’ve given Amorim a lot of insight into what he can expect in the final.

While speaking to TNT Sports, Amorim delivered his verdict on Tottenham, and he is convinced that Spurs will not change one thing when the two sides meet in Bilbao – their style of play.

The Manchester United boss believes that’s a ‘good thing’, because he won’t have to break his head over what system to expect in the Europa League final.

He told Owen Hargreaves: “We need to look at our two games. One of the things that is good (while) facing Tottenham, they are really good, but you can understand what they are going to do, because they have such a strong identity that they will not change.

“That is a good thing. For example, Manchester United with [Jose] Mourinho, they changed all the time the way they play because of the opponent.

“Set-pieces are going to be a key point because they are really strong on that, because they win a lot of corners. So that is a key point.

“We have an idea of how they are going to press, they have an idea of how we are going to build up. So, I think it’s going to be a tough match for both teams.”

Tottenham have a big reason to change their system

Ange Postecoglou has been adamant from the day he arrived at Tottenham that he will not change the way his side will play.

‘It’s who we are, mate’, has become a popular phrase, and we don’t expect that to change when Spurs take on Manchester United in the final.

However, Postecoglou would be wise to consider a slightly different approach in Bilbao because of injuries to three key players.

Lucas Bergvall, Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison are all ruled out of the Europa League final, so Spurs will not have a natural number 10 pulling the strings.

A more conservative approach wouldn’t be the worst idea, but we can’t see Postecoglou changing his style.